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Coneygree Gold Cup Winner

BHA

When Coneygree beat Dell’ Arca in November in the Grade 2 Berkshire Chase at Newbury, my colleague Mark Olley was impressed enough to allocate him a 147 performance figure, the same as his hurdle rating, writes Phil Smith.

It is very rare that a 140 hurdler can replicate that level in its first chase but the time was excellent and both Dell’ Arca (over hurdles) and the third horse Horatio Hornblower subsequently confirmed the form.

After Coneygree’s win in the Kauto Star (Feltham) Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day, I wrote that I did not know what rating to give him as the race fell apart, but that the time compared well with that of Silviniaco Conti. I admitted that I might have been 9lb too low. The reality is that I was probably more like a stone too low.

After Saturday’s win in the Betfair Denman Chase I am totally convinced. Both Houblon des Obeaux and Unioniste have solid handicap form against established mature 3m chasers and they were blown away in a stunning time. For me it was the best performance at 3m by a novice since Gloria Victis and I now have Coneygree on 166, which was the mark allocated to Gloria Victis after he won the Racing Post Chase in February 2000.

Yes, better than Denman as a novice, whose highest rating was 161 after he won the 2007 RSA Chase, which may well be Coneygree’s next race.

So what can beat him if he does go there? Possibly King’s Palace who remains on 156 after a marginally disappointing run at Newbury – he ran about 5lb below his best. He is clearly better than that. He has also run over fences at Cheltenham whereas Coneygree has not.

Apache Stronghold, Valseur Lido, The Young Master and Don Poli, who are all over 150, make this year’s renewal of the RSA look a potentially vintage one at this stage. Should Coneygree head for the Gold Cup, however, the benchmark is set at 173, courtesy of Silviniaco Conti.

"Hundreds of people came back to the yard with bottles of champagne - our dream is that he's another Denman," said Mrs Bradstock.

"We might consider the Betfair Chase and the King George for sure, but possibly we will try to win the Hennessy off top weight."

Before the race the Bradstocks had been told by many they should have kept Coneygree to novice company but Mrs Bradstock told Channel 4 Racing: "He showed them didn't he. He had no idea about statistics or anything. He's the best.

"I was always completely happy through the race, once he got into a rhythm it was all good. After that he was either going to be good enough or he wasn't.

"All his family have all been natural jumpers but the concern with him was his long legs, they were too long for his body.

"He spent a long time jumping poles in the school, though, and now he's good.

"At the last I was just praying, I could see Ruby (Walsh on Djakadam) was coming but I didn't know if he'd caught us as I ran out out from where I was watching it.

De Boinville said: "He schooled last Friday and did again [on Monday] morning, and seems to like it up there.

"He feels in great nick so I've got no complaints there. He feels like he did during that fantastic season. We can tell his demeanour by the way he schools and he seems to be schooling very well at the moment, so fingers crossed it's all systems go."

Thistlecrack 'still has it to prove'

Doubts over the fitness of last term's Gold Cup winner Don Cossack mean Vautour and Thistlecrack are vying for favouritism, but De Boinville added: "I'd say Coneygree would be in the Gold Cup mix -why not? He's a defending winner so he'd deserve his place there. We've yet to see Thistlecrack over fences so I'm not sure we can talk about him in that calibre just yet."

He's in really, really good nick," he said. "He'll work tomorrow, he just needs a nice drop of rain [before he can return to the course]. He's been jumping super, we took him to Lambourn as they can jump them on an all-weather strip and he was awesome, just awesome!

Explaining his stable star's nimbleness, headded: "He's like a giraffe, his legs are so long, yet he is pretty cute. To start with he found it quite tricky to get his legs in the right place but when you've got the likes of my son [showjumper Alfie Bradstock], wife [Sara] and daughter [Lily], it does help.

For the first half of the season Bradstock is working backwards from the King George, run at Kempton on Boxing Day over the same course and distance as Coneygree's first Grade 1 win in the 2014 Kauto Star Novices' Chase.

We've got three choices, the Charlie Hall at Wetherby, the Hennessy or the Betfair, that's it. The problem is rain, simple as that. If they get no rain at Wetherby or Haydock we might have to go to Newbury, otherwise you have to go straight to the King George as there's nothing else for him.

Is anyone else thinking the 10's for Coneygree to win the King George is huge? Yes he is fragile but it's an intended target unlike last year where there was the consideration of the Lexus. Although his Kempton run in 2014 was a bit of a farce he still took to the track very well and he'll get the all important soft in the ground he thrives on.

I'm also very tempted in the Betfair Chase & King George Double at 25's. Although he is very high in my Gold Cup thoughts I'm uneasy betting this early on a horse who is so ground dependant regardless of his injury record so that double looks more more tasty.

10a is a massive price about a horse with so much ability but the absence and potential lack of prep run is the reason for the quote, if he makes it to Charlie Hall/Betfair and wins head in chest he'll be 4s or shorter, fitness and wellbeing is always the concern...